Kid A
by Dreilide
Summary: Korra wasn't human. She was artificial; designed to be a weapon. While on a mission to destroy a deadly organization, she meets a mysterious engineering student named Asami. Korrasami
1. Prologue

**Kid A  
Prologue  
**

**Note: **Hello, friends. I've had this idea for a Korra story in my mind for a few months, and after planning it out for a few months, I've decided to take it for a spin. I hope you all enjoy it, and any feedback is very appreciated. I am a bit new at this fanfiction thing, and I want to make sure I'm giving you all the best product at my disposal. Anyways, Happy New Years!

* * *

The man sat at his computer, starring at the blank screen. The small room was dark, with the only light source being that of the computer's monitor. The continued exposure to the light had caused his eyes to become dry and red, but he hadn't even noticed. His mind was on one thing, and one thing only.

He held a small hard-drive in his gingerly hand. He held it close to his body, unconsciously protecting it from anything that would do it harm. As if all the demons in the world were in that very room. And as far as he was concerned, they might as well have been.

His thumb was gently stroking the hard-drive's surface, like a father would his child's cheek.

"Tonraq, darling, you've been in there for hours!" a female voice yelled from outside. Tonraq let out a deep breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"I'll be out soon, I just..." he paused, looking down at the drive. He didn't realize that his hand was starting to shake, "I just need more time."

With a deep breath, he looked back to the computer screen. There were so many things that could go wrong? What if there was a bug? What if the memory became corrupted?

Or worse, what if they lost her forever.

Tonraq moved his mouse, putting him back to the computer's homescreen. His background was a picture of a family. Himself, his wife, and a small girl. They were holding her, as she reached to blow out a set of eight birthday candles. He found himself smiling at the picture. He reached his hand out, and gently touched the girl's face.

He took one more breath, finding a new found determination.

It was now or never.

As he gently plugged in the drive, a white blossom appeared.

_"Searching for Avatar..." _a computerized spoke.

The man placed his hands together and closed his eyes. He felt like his heart was about to climb out of his chest. Up his throat, out his mouth, and shatter into pieces before his eyes.

_"No Avatar found. Continue search?"_

He nodded, as if a real person had asked, and clicked enter. He wasn't giving up. He had been told that something like this might happen.

_"Searching for Avatar..."_

In that moment, he did something he'd never done before. He began to pray.

"If there are any spirits, or gods, or any all mighty beings, I beg you. Please..."

_"No Avatar found. Continue search?"_

"Give me this one thing."

_"Searching for Avatar..."_

"Give her this chance."

"_Avatar found."_

Tonraq opened his eyes, the sound bringing him out of his thoughts. A new pop up had replaced the previous on. A white flower sat in the middle of his screen.

He quickly stood up, his eyes never leaving the screen.

"It worked..." he mumbled to himself, in disbelief. His dry eyes started to sting with the sudden presence of water, "It worked!"

He ran to the door and opened it.

"Senna! Call Tenzin!" he shouted, "It worked! She's there!"

Tonraq felt his body tremble with joy, for he was feeling something he hadn't felt in a very long time.

He felt hope.

* * *

Korra lived a lively, happy life filled with key moments.

She remembered waking up on her eighth birthday to find a box on her bed. The box was white, with a red ribbon. She opened the box, only to have her face viciously licked by a energetic puppy. She named the dog Naga. They became best friends.

She remembered taking martial arts classes for three years. She started when she was ten. Her teacher's name was Nanashi. She was his most prized student. She studied there for three years. The memory made her feel happy.

She remembered joining her middle school track team. They were called the polar dogs. She was the fastest runner, and the team captain. They won every race around the town. The memory made her feel triumphant.

She remembered dreaming about going to Omashu University. It had the best athletics program, and was a very accredited university. It was somewhere she could go to begin her journey away from her small home town. She felt connected there, because her parents went to school there. The memory gave her joy

She remembered the day her parents died. They were involved in an accident, and both of them died upon impact. She remembered the police officers showing up at her house, and telling her she was now an orphan. The memory was supposed to make her feel sad. It would stop people from asking questions.

She remembered enrolling in Republic City Community College. It was an inexpensive school, with good transfer program to Omashu University. It was far enough away for her to start her new life. She felt excited to go.

All these moments were a key part of who she was. They were memories who made her the woman she was today.

But most importantly, they were completely fabricated.

Korra opened her eyes, taking in her surroundings. She was laying on a laboratory bed, surrounded by various machines and computers. The only sound to the room was the unsyncopated sounds of all the machines.

She reached her hand out, and found she was in a glass case. She could see a slight reflection in the case, and saw that there were various wires protruding from her head. Her mind felt hazy. She had processed too much information.

She heard the sound of footsteps approach her. She looked up, to see there was now a man standing above her. He seemed familiar.

"Korra," he spoke, a deep, calming voice. She felt like she should know it...but she didn't. He seemed to pick up on that, "Do you know who I am?"

The girl simply shook his head. The man sighed, and pressed a button on the side of the machine. The wires disconnected from her head, and the glass case opened up. He reached his hand out to her. With hesitation, she took it.

"Memory loss is a typical side effect of memory transfer," he informed her. He gave her a small smile, "My name is Tenzin. The others are waiting for you."

"Others?" Korra asked. Tenzin nodded, patting her on the back.

"Don't worry. We'll get you caught up soon enough."

Korra nodded her head, and followed the man out of the lab.


	2. Chapter 1: Everything In Its Right Place

**Kid A  
Chapter 1: Everything In Its Right Place**

**Author's Note:** Wow, thank you everyone for all the positive feedback. I wasn't expecting to get this much support from the community, but you guys were amazing. Thank you so much! And thank you helgabuttercup, woop, Anonymous Rex, Korrasami Trouble, Guest, alizsf1, Kimblee Whitehead, merikflame, and Aquamarine99 for reviewing the last chapter.

* * *

Tenzin lead Korra down a long, bleak hallway. The walls were a soft green, and were decorated with pictures of white flowers, and people she didn't know. Korra shifted her attention from her surroundings, to Tenzin, who answering very few of her questions. He was talking about things, small things, that answered none of Korra's questions.

"I don't understand. Ikki receives excellent grades in everything but history class. I've tried to get her to study more, but I'm at a loss," Tenzin ranted, looking to Korra, "Pema says its normal, but I'm a professor of History! I can't have children who can't understand it!"

"I don't know who either of those people are, so can't respond." Tenzin looked to her, and gave a deep sigh, before giving her a soft smile.

"How are you feeling?" Tenzin asked. Korra looked down at her body, then back to Tenzin.

"My body isn't damaged, but I am confused about this situation."

"I see," Tenzin replied, as they reached their destination. They stopped at a large metal door, which what appeared to be a scanner of some kind next to it. Both things seemed to clash with the rest of the hallway. Something about it seemed...imposing.

Tenzin placed his hand on the scanner, and the machine started to hum. Korra leaned over, observing the machine. After a few seconds of waiting, a green light appeared from under the scanner, followed by a light "ding."

The large door slid open. Tenzin turned to Korra, and gestures for her to come with him.

"Come along," he said, "You have much catching up to do."

They entered what appeared to be a normal conference room. There were four people sitting at a large table, two male, two female. All four of them looked up as Korra and Tenzin entered.

"About damn time you showed up," One of the women sneered. Korra observed her harsh eyes, and a scar on her cheek. Tenzin didn't respond to her, and simply took his seat. He gestured for Korra to take a seat next to him.

"The programming appears to be a partial success," Tenzin announced to the group.

"Define partial," The women with the scar said.

"There were no apparent errors in the programming process," Tenzin replied, "However, any memory before that appears to have been erased. She doesn't know what she is, or who any of us are."

"Just great," the woman with the scar scoffed. An old man with a burn scar over his eye stood up.

"Well, I suppose if Ms. Korra, doesn't remember us, we should introduce ourselves," He adjusted his glasses, and smiled at Korra, "My name is Zuko. I am the head of the White Lotus." He pointed to the woman with the scar, "This is Lin Bei Fong. She is head of security and safety in our organization," he pointed to the other man. He was scrawny, with a strange mustache, "And this is-"

"The name's Verrick," he interrupted, "I'm the braid that gives these guys their fancy gear. It's thanks to my contributions that you are the lean, mean, fighting machine you are today!" he gestured to his assistant, "And this catch of a woman is Zhu-Li."

Korra awkwardly waved at the group. That was how people were supposed to introduce themselves, she was pretty sure. The proper way to react to an introduction wasn't currently in her memory. Tenzin sighed, and looked to her.

"Any questions so far?" he asked. She nodded.

"This is the White Lotus?" she asked. Tenzin nodded, "But that's a flower and a color."

Korra noticed how Lin rolled her eyes, muttering something under her breath.

"That is simply the name of our organization," Zuko said, "Our purpose is to bring enlightenment to humanity. Through knowledge, technology, and the removal of chaos."

"Okay," Korra nodded, satisfied with her answer. Another question came to mind, "What am I supposed to do?"

"There is an organization, our counterparts, called the Red Lotus. Your purpose is to destroy them."

"Okay," Korra nodded.

"Tomorrow, you will be attending Republic City Community College. We believe the heads of this organization are teachers there, using their positions to corrupt their students. Your job will be to find them, and take them out."

"Okay," Korra stated.

"What else went wrong with her programming," Lin said, out of the blue, "Clearly there's more wrong with her."

"There's nothing wrong with me!" Korra objected, "I work just fine."

Tenzin sighed, "As you can see, she's not quite...human."

"Well of course she's not human!" Verrick exclaimed, "I didn't invest my money to build humans! I invested to build machines!"

"Machines that could pass as human, Verrick," Tenzin corrected.

"Well, she looks human to me!" Verrick responded, standing up. He walked over to Korra, and started to run his hand through her hair, "I mean, her hair even feels like hair! Really greasy hair!"

It was then that Verrick grabbed Korra by the shoulder. Korra's eyes widened. Her body's defense raised. Unexpected grabbing was a sign of aggression. She needed to protect herself.

She stood up, and grabbed Verrick's arm. With enough force as she needed, she flipped him over her head, sending him slamming into the table. The table broke upon impact. Everyone in the room gasped, jumping to attention.

Lin stood up, reaching for her hip. She was drawing a weapon. Korra's attention shifted towards her, preparing to charge the woman

"Korra, stand down!" Tenzin yelled, "Lin, don't draw that weapon."

"Your project just broke a solid oak table with Verrick's body!"

"And drawing a weapon will only make her more aggressive," Tenzin shouted out, "Korra, at ease."

Korra looked back and forth between Lin and Tenzin as they shouted, then looked over to Verrick. She felt something weird. Something negative, "Did I do something wrong?" she asked. Tenzin shook his head.

"Everything's fine. Take a seat," he said. She nodded, and sat back down. Zhu Li jumped from her seat, and rushed to help Verrick up.

"Are you okay, sir?" she asked.

"Zhu Li, reschedule my chiropractor appointment for tomorrow, I'm gonna need it," Zhu Li helped Verrick back to his seat, and sat down next to him, "I see what you mean by 'not quite human,' Tenzin," Verrick said. He rubbed his shoulders, cringing at the touch.

"Do we need to call Kya?" Zuko asked. Verrick shook his head.

"I'm fine. It'll take more then a psycho human looking machine to kill me!"

"Well this is just great!" Lin shouted, "Her deployment starts tomorrow, and she has the subtle touch of a rhino. This is going to be a train wreck!"

The room was met with a silence, as everyone tried to process the situation. Korra looked down at her hands, stilling having that negative feeling. She was positive that was how she was supposed to react to aggressive situations. Was she wrong? She didn't know anything else she was supposed to do, yet everyone seemed angry at her. Especially Lin.

"Tenzin," Zuko spoke, "You've spent the most time with her throughout her development. Do you believe we can safely put her onto the field?"

Tenzin was silent for a moment. He looked to her. She shifted at his gaze, and looked away from him. He looked back to Zuko.

"She can do it."

Although Korra couldn't explain why, she smiled. The negative feeling in her stomach went away.

"I can do it!" she repeated, standing up. Tenzin looked to her, and smiled. Zuko nodded.

"Then it's settled," Zuko stated, "We will continue the operation as planned."

* * *

Korra stood in front of the university, going over all the information she would need. She was reminding herself of exactly what she needed to do.

She would pose as a regular student. Four professors were members of the Red Lotus, though no one was certain which ones. Her job was to collect intel on all of the different professors, and report her findings back to her peers. When they were 100% certain that someone's allegiance lay with the Red Lotus, she would be sent to dispose of them.

On top of that, she was given some basic information, things to help her not stand out. If asked what she did for a living, she would say she was a live-in tutor for Tenzin's children. She was not supposed to mention the White Lotus under any circumstance. And most importantly, she was not to harm nobody. No matter the situation, she would harm no one unless specifically ordered too.

It was easy enough to remember. She began to walk towards the school, and smiled. She liked the way her new clothes felt. A blue shirt, and a pair of jeans. They felt loose on her body, but she was comfortable.

She looked down to the piece of paper in her hand. It was her class schedule. Her first class was _English Composition 101_, a simple enough class. She had twenty minutes to find the room. She began walked towards the building, already observing those around her.

The campus was full of young adults, and half of them were looking down at papers similar to hers. They weren't paying attention to the world around them, not wanting to be late to the first day of class. The other half seemed to be totally chill. Some where eating food, some where listening to music, and some where talking to their friends. Nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary.

She walked inside the building, and observed much of the same thing. Students were crowded together, now in more compact spaces, attempting to navigate through the crowd to their classes. Korra soon found herself within the sea of people, making her way to her class. Unlike the other students, she didn't move herself around those in her way. She simply walked through the crowd, whether or not people moved for her was up to them.

_"Watch where you're going!"_

_"Hey are you blind?"_

_"Wow rude."_

Korra didn't pay them any attention. They were blocking her path, what else was she supposed to do? As she continued to walk, the space started to empty out. It started to become much easier to move. She arrived at the room her class was supposed to take place, and looked at a clock. She was fifteen minutes early. She wondered what her best choice of action was, at this point. Should she go back, and try to find some more information? Or should she stay put, and begin to plan how she was going to go about her day.

She didn't sense the professor of the class anywhere near her. He must not have been there yet. If she was to stay put, she might get a chance to interact with him. It might be easier to get information from him directly. It was decided. She would stay here.

She stood by the door, alert. Waiting for the professor to come her way.

Her ears perked when she heard a pair of footsteps walking her way. She glanced over to the source, but was disappointed to not see the professor. It was just another student. The girl noticed Korra, and gave a small smile. Korra couldn't help but smile back.

The girl was tall, with long dark hair. Korra took note of her green eyes. There was something striking about them. The girl waved at Korra. Korra's smile grew, as she waved back. She was right. That was the proper way to introduce oneself.

"Hi," the girl said, and placed herself next to Korra, "Looks like we're both early."

"My name is Korra," Korra introduced. The girl seemed slightly taken aback by Korra's sudden introduction, but she simply laughed.

"It's nice to meet you, Korra," she said. She placed her hand out, "My name is Asami."

Korra looked at Asami's hand, and reached out to grab it. She gave it a solid handshake. Asami laughed a second time.

"You have a stronger grip then most boys I know," Asami said, "You must work out, huh?"

"I have a strong body," Korra responded. Once again, Asami laughed. Korra's smile grew. There was something gratifying about this girl's laugh.

"Well, I see who my star pupils are going to be," a voice said. A man was walking towards them. A long haired man approached them.

"Professor Ghazan," Asami said, "I'm not sure if you remember me, but you know my dad. Hiroshi Sato?"

"Asami!" he exclaimed, "What a pleasant surprise!" He walked to the door, and began to open the lock, "Normally I'm here earlier, but I got caught up in something."

"What something?" Korra asked. Ghazan looked at her and laughed.

"I don't want to burden you with my troubles," he said, "Things always get out of hand the first day of school, let's put it at that."

Korra nodded. That seemed suspicious to her. Was this the kind of evidence the White Lotus was looking for? It didn't matter. She would report it regardless. She was told to report any detail, no matter how trivial it seemed.

She would observe more as the class went on. Perhaps she would find something more pressing.

She took her seat at one of the tables. Asami sat in the seat next to her.

"Mind if I sit here?" she asked. Korra found herself smiling again.

"You can sit here," she said. She gestured for her to sit, like Tenzin had to her. Asami laughed that gratifying laugh, and took her seat. Korra found herself looking into those striking green eyes again. Human eyes weren't suppose to draw that much attention, at least not to her knowledge.

Yet they did. Korra watched as Asami took out a laptop, and began to set up her space. It was fascinating. She seemed to be so organized. Her attention shifted between that, the professor, and the other students that started to come in the class.

"Do you use a laptop, or a notebook to take notes?" Asami asked, "My friend Mako and I have this debate. I prefer laptops, but their faster. But he thinks you learn more if you do it the old fashion way. Thoughts?"

"I have a recorder," Korra responded, taking out a small recording device. She placed it on her desk.

"Oh, so you can listen back to the lecture later. That's pretty smart."

The recorder was actually Tenzin's idea. It was figured she could observe more, if she wasn't wasting her energy taking notes. Besides, she would remember everything that was said in the class, regardless. If she heard anything unusual in the class, she could take the recording back to the White Lotus, and they could observe it themselves.

"Laptops are good, too," Korra said, "You're friend is dumb. Machines are way better then paper."

"You can say that again!"

And with that, the class had started.

* * *

The class had been relatively redundant. They had spent the majority of it going over the syllabus, and what was expected of them as students, and all that jazz. Korra had spent her time observing her surroundings. She jumped back and forth between professor Ghazan's desk, and Asami's mannerisms. She noticed how Asami seemed to be able to take notes on her computer, without having the need to look down at her screen. Occasionally, Korra would glance at the screen, and find that Asami was able to type down every word their professor said. It was an incredible skill.

Occasionally, Asami would notice Korra's lingering attention, and give her a small smile. She'd a strand of her hair behind her ear, and get back to the note taking process.

Korra would then realize she had been paying attention to Asami too long. She needed to get some information. She would look to Ghazan, and Ghazan's desk, but she wasn't quite sure what she should be looking for. If this man was, in fact, a member of the Red Lotus, it wasn't as if he would be wearing a sign that drew attention to it. She needed to be looking for a small clue. A small thing that was out of the ordinary.

He didn't dress differently from everyone else. A jacket, belt, a shirt tucked into some nice pants, he looked like a typical college professor. His desk didn't appear to be anything special either. A computer, a stack of papers. Nothing out of the ordinary.

She looked back to the teacher himself. Perhaps she was wasting her time. After all, there held a chance that he wasn't a member of the Red Lotus. After all, only four of the teacher here were members, to their knowledge. The odds were that he was just a regular professor.

That's when she saw it, something shiny on her collar. A pin of some kind. Korra sat up, looking closer.

It was a red flower.

Soon enough, the class had ended. The classroom was scurried with people, who were collecting their stuff. Korra had everything she needed, and found herself waiting for Asami to pack away her things.

"Do you have any more classes today?" Asami asked. Korra looked down at her sheet of paper.

"History and Theories of Earth Kingdom Literature," Korra read. Asami's eyes lit up.

"Oh! I'm taking that too!" she exclaimed. Korra smiled.

"We should go together," she said, as they began to exit the classroom.

They walked down the halls of the building together. Asami talked to Korra, asking questions about her life. Korra responded with the answers she'd been programmed to say.

"So, are you a writing major?" she asked. Korra shook her head.

"I'm undeclared," Korra responded. Asami nodded.

"Smart," she commented, "I'm a robotics major myself."

"You like robots?" Korra asked, enthusiastically. Asami laughed that gratifying laugh, and nodded her head.

"I think their amazing. I mean, they hold so much potential. It's incredible! It's just..." she paused, "I'm not actually taking any classes that contribute to my degree. I'm spending this semester exploring other things. Like Earth Kingdom literature."

Korra nodded, as the two girls arrived at their room. Once again, they were there much earlier then their class was was about to start.

"So, is this your first semester here?" Asami asked, "I don't think I've seen you around before."

"You haven't," Korra responded, "This is my first semester."

It was then that Korra noticed that the door to the classroom was unlocked. In fact, the door appeared to be ever-so-slightly open. That was odd. The lights were off inside, and she didn't sense anybody inside the classroom.

She looked to Asami, then back to the door.

"It's open..." Korra noted. Asami looked to the door.

"Maybe the professor didn't close it all the way," Asami suggested. Korra scowled. She walked to the door, and opened it. She took a cautious step inside, and turned on the lights.

In the middle of the room, there lay the body of a woman, surrounded by a pool of blood. She heard a scream from behind her, as Asami walked in the room, witnessing the site. Asami pulled out a cell phone, and began to call the police.

Korra walked up to the body and kneeled down to it. She placed her fingers on the woman's neck, checking for any sort of life. But there was none.

The professor was dead.


	3. Chapter 2: Kid A

**Kid A  
Chapter 2: Kid A**

**Authors Note:** Thank you Anonymous Rex, Anne, Blighted, Korrasami Trouble, inomibil, Guest, DragonRider97, Aquamarine99, and Guest for the feedback. All the positivity has been amazing, guys. I really, truly appreciate it! Sorry if this was a bit late. Things are getting a little bit hectic, with school coming up and what not. Happy reading!

* * *

A murder was an easy thing to get away with, if you weren't an idiot. However, as it was, most killers were idiots. They did not plan their deed well enough. As a result, they were easily introduced to the justice system. Even the smallest loose end could lead to the road of failure.

And in this case, failure was not an option. The professor's demise had been carefully calculated. Plotted. Every second, every minuscule detail, had all been accounted for. Nothing could go wrong.

The professor would be alone in her classroom, preparing for her upcoming class. She would be sitting at her desk, organizing her syllabus. She would be looking over the class list and the coursework, reviewing how everything would go. She would be casual about it. After all, there was an entire hour before the class was scheduled to start.

And at this particular time, she was one of the few professors in the building not teaching a class at this time. There was a ten minute window where this area of the building would be quite. Empty. Student and faculty alike would be held up in their classes, unaware of the coming danger. It was the perfect moment to strike.

The assailant slipped into the professor's classroom near the beginning of this window. The professor looked up from her desk, smiling at the familiar face. The friendly face. Her soon-to-be assailant smiled back.

"I didn't expect to see you here," the professor said, "Is there something I can help you with?"

"I just had a question," the assailant would reply, approaching their target

"Well, of course!" the professor would say, standing up from her desk. The prey was approaching the predator.

Then they would talk. The assailant would converse, as if everything was perfectly normal. Waiting for the perfect second to strike. The professor would go along with the conversation, suspecting nothing. They two would talk, like too old friends.

And then the assailant would strike. Their right hand covering the professor's mouth, muffling her screams, while their left hand produced a knife. They plunged it into the professor's stomach, and lowered the woman onto the ground. There, they would wait. Slowly, patiently, while the professor squirmed under their grasp. Counting the seconds, while the life drained from their victim.

Finally, the time of their exit came. The assailant stood up, leaving the soon-to-be-deceased professor on the ground. A smile crept on their face. Everything was going perfectly.

They would take that opportunity to change clothing. After all, bloody clothes tended to be a dead give-away to murder.

After changing their clothes, they would stuff the dirty clothes in their bag. A green, leather saddlebag. The finest money could buy. It had been lined with plastic to prevent any potential stains. It was a nice bag, after all. Didn't want to ruin it by carelessly throwing bloody garments in it. After carefully packing away the clothing, they would carefully stuff away the knife into the mix, carefully placing it between the clothing.

And with a satisfied smile, the assailant would leave the room. They would run quietly down the hall, turning the corner. They would slow their pace to a walk, and join in the sea of students freshly released from their classes.

* * *

To say things became hectic would have been an understatement.

Minutes after they had found the body of their would-be professor, they were surrounded by a large assortment of people. Unsettled students, unsettled faculty. They were soon shoed away from the body by some of the teachers attempting to gain some sort of control of the situation. They stood in the hallway, a small distance away from the scene, waiting for the police.

Korra found her senses were on high alert. Was this a random murder, or were her targets involved? If this was connected to the Red Lotus, could their be other targets?

"I...I can't believe this is really happening," Asami said, her voice unstabled. Korra couldn't help but notice that the girl's hand was clenched in a fist, shaking ever-so-slightly.

"You're shaking," Korra observed. Asami looked up, meeting her eyes. She nodded.

"I...I just..." she stuttered. She looked away, trying to find the right words, "I've never seen someone dead before."

"Me neither," Korra responded. She looked into the crowd of people. She felt like she should join the sea, wondering if it would do her any good to investigate. The body felt like it had been dead for a while before they had found it, maybe an hour? Whoever the culprit was, was most away from the scene by now, trying to get some distance between them and the crime.

But maybe they were in that crowd. Perhaps they wanted to get a sense of their handywork, and the mayhem they caused. Her instincts told her the killer was close. However, she was told to stay put until the police showed up.

She heard heavy breaths from next to her. Korra looked over to Asami, who was starting to look a ghostly pale. Korra felt like she shouldn't just leave her alone like this. Right now, the best thing to do would to be to comfort her.

"At least you've never seen a body before this," Korra said, "People die all the time. The fact that you've only seen this one body is lucky."

Asami looked to Korra, with a facial expression she couldn't read. Did she say the wrong thing?

"Did that not help?" Korra asked.

"Oh, no...it's just," Asami said, "You're so calm. It's weird."

"Oh," Korra said.

"Not that being calm is a bad thing," Asami continued, "I just don't understand it."

"I'm sorry," Korra said, "Would not being calm make you feel better?"

And with that statement, came the laugh Korra had grown to enjoy. Though it was softer. More subdued.

"No," she shook her head, "You being calm is a good thing."

"I'm glad," Korra said. She gave Asami a soft smile.

Korra heard a pair of sharp footsteps approaching them. She turned her head to see a familiar scarred face. Lin Bei Fong was approaching the two girls, and she looked more annoyed then she did the last time Korra had met her.

"I'm here to take your statements," she said, with harshness in her voice. She pointed to Korra, "You first."

Korra looked back to Asami, then to Lin. She still felt leaving Asami by herself would be a bad thing. Korra opened her mouth to object

"Can you take them together?" Asami asked. Lin looked to her, and shook her head.

"Sorry kid. It's protocol," Lin said, before escorting Korra away.

* * *

Lin had been against this project from the start. She had always been somewhat skeptical of messing with the natural order of things. If her mother taught her one thing, it was that all science forms of science, no matter how well intended, would eventually be used for bad things. People would manipulate and distort it, drain every ounce of purity from it, until it was nothing but a weapon for evil.

And that was exactly what this project was becoming. _Subject Kid A, _as she was known, was nothing more than a mindless weapon. Tenzin insisted that she was more human than not. That her human roots lay beneath the depths of her programming. That was bullshit. Her entire purpose at that school was to seek out Red Lotus members, and eliminate them. She was their executioner, and that was as far from human as one could get.

And then the meeting, where Tenzin presented her. It was obvious she had no regard for their lives. If Tenzin hadn't of stopped her, she would have taken out the entire room. She was obviously defective. And despite all common sense, they had gone ahead with the mission. They had placed a defective killing machine in a school full of civilians. She would jump the gun.

So when Lin was informed that a professor had been murdered, a professor who taught one of her classes, Lin suspected her prediction was correct.

She lead the girl in a secluded classroom, and after making sure no one was around them, she shut the door behind them. Before she could demand answers, the subject asked a question of your own.

"I thought you were the head of security of the White Lotus," she asked, "Do you have two jobs?"

Lin was slightly taken a back by the innocence of the question. With the library of programming the girl had, she couldn't differentiate that one simple fact. But this wasn't the time to answer her stupid questions.

"What did you do?" she demanded.

"I did a lot of things today," Korra said.

"That's not what I meant," Lin shouted. It was weird, watching Korra react. Normally when she shouted at people, they would flinch. They would get angry. They would react. Korra just stood their. No reaction. Nothing. It was unnerving

"What do you mean?" Korra asked.

"Did you kill the professor?" Lin demanded. Korra shook her head.

"I haven't had a chance to investigate her, yet," she said, "I don't know if she was part of the Red Lotus. I'm only supposed to take out Red Lotus members."

Lin sighed, rubbing her forehead, "You didn't kill her."

"No," she shook her head, "Was I supposed to?"

Lin rolled her eyes. As distrustful as she was of her, she didn't think she quite had the capacity to go rogue. If she had killed the professor, she would have said so. The subject hadn't killed anyone.

Yet.

* * *

When Korra got out of her conversation with Lin, her immediate response was to go back to Asami. However, when she reached the area where they were, the girl was gone. There was no sign of her anywhere.

Korra's first response was to go search for her, before she realized that she was probably talking to other police officers. She wondered if she should stay, wait for Asami to get back? But she realized she didn't know for sure that was where Asami was. Asami could have gone to meet with someone, or perhaps she had went home for the day.

She decided, with some reluctance, that her best course of action was to go observe the area. See if she could find any signs of the Red Lotus around the scene.

She spent the next few hours at the school, doing just that. Listening on people's conversations, observing their movements, looking for any small hints of the organization. However, she couldn't seem to find any. Eventually, there was nothing more for her to find at the school. It was time to head back to the place assigned to be her home.

The building was on the other side of the city. The most efficient way to travel there was via the city's subway system. It worked out, as students at the community college were granted free transportation.

As she stood at her train's platform, she looked around at the various people around her. There was a large assortment of people, with much more variety then she had seen before. There were some that she recognized as students, but there was a fair amount of business-like people. There were families, and individuals playing instruments in the station, pandering for money.

Soon enough, the station started to rumble, as their train arrived. A large group of people flowed out, making their way around her, and Korra walked onto the train. From what she had been told, this would be a twenty minute trip. She would be getting off at Air Temple Station.

The train was crowded with people, and there wasn't an open seat for her to sit. Korra shrugged, and made her way to a pole, holding onto it. Other people filled the train, and soon enough, a woman made her place next to Korra.

"Excuse me," she said, as she grabbed onto the pole.

The finally, everyone had boarded, and the subway doors closed. Korra tightened her grasp, as the train began to move.

"Student at the community college?" The woman asked. Korra looked to her, slightly surprised by the woman's observation.

"How did you guess?"

"Well, you look like a student. Besides, your boarded from Community College Station," she replied.

"That's logical," Korra said, starting to observe the woman. She was tall, with a muscular shape. Black hair tied in a braid, and a beauty mark on her cheek. She noticed that she wore a Republic City Community College sweatshirt.

"You're a student too," Korra pointed out.

"So I am," The woman replied. There was then a silence between them, and Korra wondered if she should let it linger. Was she to end the small talk, or continue the conversation. She felt like she was supposed to introduce herself.

"My name's Korra," she said. She thought back to when she met Asami, how they shook hands. Korra presented her hand to the woman. The woman smiled, and grabbed onto it. She gave a firm handshake.

"You can call me Kuvira," the woman replied, "So, Korra. Where did you live before coming to Republic City?"

"How do you know I'm not from Republic City?" Korra asked, once again, amazed by the woman's observational skills. Kuvira laughed a strong laugh.

"It's the way you look around the subway," she replied, "You're looking around, taking in the sites of the subway. Well, let me make your life easier. Nothing interesting happens on the subway. At least, not until the bars close."

Korra nodded, taking a mental note of the information. She wasn't sure if it would be useful to know, but it was good to remember, just in case.

"So, how was your first day?" Kuvira asked. Korra shrugged.

"My first class was okay, but my second class was canceled because the professor was murdered."

Kuvira's eyes widened, her relaxed expression changing, "That sentence had a plot twist. There were rumors that Professor Raiko was stabbed, but I thought it was some stupid rumor."

"It wasn't a rumor," Korra replied, "I found the body."

"Shit," Kuvira said, "Sounds like my life is about to become hellish."

"What do you mean?"

"I have a work study with the school," Kuvira explained, "Specifically, I work security."

"Security?" Korra asked, her ears perking at the word.

"Yeah, and it's about to be a huge pain," Kuvira groaned, "Of all the professors who had to be murdered, it had to be fucking Raiko."

"Why's that?" Korra asked. Kuvira groaned, rubbing her forhead.

"Wow, you really are new here," Kuvira said, "Professor Buttercup Raiko, otherwise known as Mayor Raiko's wife."

The train started to come to a stop, as Kuvira let go of the pole.

"This is my stop," she said. The doors to the train started to open, "I'll see you around, Korra."

And with that, Kuvira disappeared into the crowd.

* * *

It had been agreed upon that Korra would be living with Tenzin and his family. It was a part of her cover. She had been hired to be a live-in tutor for Tenzin's children. Korra was a bit unsure about how this was going to work out, seeing as she was given no information on how to be a tutor, or how to deal with children. However, Tenzin assured her everything would be fine.

"You must be Kid A!"

Korra looked to Tenzin, and then waved at the strange woman. She was standing by the door, as if she was waiting for them.

"Kid A?" Korra asked, "I thought my name was Korra?"

"Kid A is your subject name," Tenzin explained, "Your real name, your true name, is Korra."

"It's such a lovely name, too!" The woman exclaimed, "I'm so glad to finally get to meet you! I'm Pema, Tenzin's wife."

It was then that Pema raised her arms to Korra, and started to approach her. Korra felt herself tense, preparing for an attack. Tenzin placed his hand on Pema's shoulder, stopping her.

"Darling, let's not overwhelm her," Tenzin said. Pema looked confused for a second, before laughing, nodding along at her husband.

"Oh! You still haven't worked out that bug in her programming," she laughed.

"She knows I'm not human?" Korra asked, looking to Tenzin, "I thought only White Lotus members knew."

"Of course I know, silly!" Pema replied, "I helped Tenzin design your programming!"

Tenzin smiled, placing his arm over Pema's shoulder. He leaned in, planting a kiss on her forehead

"Pema here designed some of your more human traits," Tenzin said, Korra observing the large smile on his face. He gently rubbed his fingers over her shoulders. She leaned her head onto his body.

"I thought my human traits were deemed a failure," Korra said. The room became silent, and Korra noticed Tenzin's face start to pale. However, Pema seemed unaffected. She simply laughed it off.

"That's the problem with those tech-heads at the Red Lotus," Pema said, "The White Lotus thinks you can be human based off the memories we program into you, but that's not how it works." She broke from Tenzin, and took a step forward, "Humanity comes from experience. Real, physical experience."

"How?" Korra asked.

Pema laughed, "It's hard to explain, Korra, but you'll understand soon," She turned towards the door, "Ikki, Meelo! Come say hello to our new houseguest!"

The sounds of crashing and laughter were heard from inside, as two children came bouncing out of the house. A girl, and a boy. Korra noticed how similiar they looked to both Tenzin and Pema. They had their mother's features, but they had their fathers eyes.

"You're our new robot!" the boy exclaimed. He ran around her, examining her.

"They know too?" Korra asked, looking down at the two kids. Pema and Tenzin nodded.

"Pema keeps a strict No Secrets rule in this household," Tenzin explained.

"A healthy family is open, and honest with each other," Pema said, looking down at the two children. She ruffled Meelo's hair, ever so slightly. The boy laughed. Korra smiled.

"You're really pretty for a robot!" the girl said, "Your hair looks really soft. Is your hair soft?"

Korra thought for a moment, before touching her hair with her hand. It felt soft enough, she supposed.

"Yes, my hair is soft," she said. Ikki's smile widened.

"Yay!" she exclaimed, "We can braid each others hair. And paint each others nails. And talk girl talk! It'll be awesome."

"Sure," Korra said. She wasn't quite sure what all of that would mean for her, but the girl seemed enthusiastic. It seemed fun.

"Let's go back inside, show and show Korra around," Pema said. The kids nodded, and ran back in the house.

"Come on, Korra!" The boy shouted. The girl ran to the door, and waited for Korra to follow.

"I'm so excited!" she said, as Korra passed her, "It'll be like having a sister again!"

* * *

The next day at school started out relatively similar to her first day. She was once again surrounded by students who were unfamiliar with the area, frantically searching for where it was they were supposed to go to class. However, as she walked, she noticed that there were quite a few cops scattered around the campus. Occasionally, she would see a couple of them questioning students. She thought about Kuvira on the train, what she said about security increasing. She wondered how the up in security would effect her investigation.

If a Red Lotus member was behind the murder, then she could use this to her advantage. If the cops discovered the murderer, she could have a reference point to which to connect the dots. She would have an idea of who that person associated with. However, the increase in cop activity could have the opposite effect. The Red Lotus could be keeping a lower profile. Either way, she realized she had to keep her guard up. She was in the thick of it.

The best thing she could do would be continue on as normal. Act like she was a regular student. Her first class of the day was simply titled _Basics of Swing Dance, _and was being held at a building at the other end of campus: The Kuruk Hall of Fine Arts. It was a chance to get to know the other side of campus. It would help to widen her scope.

As she made her way to class, as she made her observation, she kept an eye out for Asami. They shared two classes, so it stood to reason that they may have shared more. At least, Korra hoped they did.

Once again, she arrived at the class early. She looked at the clock, and found that she had twenty minutes until the class started.

And once again, she was the first one there. None of the other students had arrived yet. In fact, the halls were relatively quiet. The only sound, was from a faint music coming from behind the door. A muffled, lively rhythm. Jazz music. Korra wondered if she should go in, investigate what was behind those doors. She was curious what she would find. Hopefully, not another body.

Before she could make that decision, she heard footsteps. She looked down the hall, and saw a pair of boys approaching. There was a taller one in a red scarf, and a shorter one in a green shirt. They shared looked similar to each other. Brothers, maybe, perhaps cousins. They didn't notice her, too into their conversation.

"...I'm telling you. We'll be the only two guys in the class. We'll be swimming in ladies! It's perfect." said the one in the green shirt.

"Psh," the boy in the red scarf rolled his eyes, "You're not in here to pick up women. You're here to impress _Opal._"

"I am not!" Green Shirt replied, "Sure, I can see how Opal could be considered the girl of my dreams...but the world is an ocean. Opal is just a fish in a sea of millions."

"A fish who is an award winning swing dancer," the other taunted, "Who's mom just so happens to teach this class."

"Two random coincidences," Green Shirt said. It was then that Korra caught his eye. He smiled, "Hello!" he shouted from across the hall.

Korra waved at them. The two walked up to her. Korra noticed the goofy smile on green shirts face. Red Scarf looked annoyed, like he didn't want to be there, for whatever reason.

"Hello," Korra said, making more observations about them. They were both tall, muscular. They shared facial features, but their eyes were different. Red scarf's were thing and brown, while Green Shirt's were wide and green. They seemed friendly enough.

"I'm Bolin, and this is my brother, Mako!" Green shirt introduced, "Are you hear for swing dancing?"

Korra nodded, smiling at the two. That's when Bolin started to realize the music coming from inside the other room. His eyes widened.

"Oh shit, are we late?" he exclaimed. Mako sighed.

"The sheet says the class starts at 10:30, dummy, we've got another ten minutes," he said, "Someone's probably just practicing."

"Oh cool!" Bolin exclaimed. He moved to open the door.

"Bolin, wait-" but it was too late. He had already entered the room. Mako gave an aggravated sigh, and looked to Korra.

"Sorry, my brother's a colossal idiot," he groaned. Korra shrugged.

"It's not that bad," Korra said, "I went into my class early yesterday."

"How'd that work out?" Mako asked.

"We found her murdered," Korra responded.

Mako's eyes widened.

"You were the girl with Asami!" he exclaimed. Korra looked to Mako, unaware she was smiling.

"You know Asami?"

Before Mako had a chance to respond, Bolin poked his head through the door.

"You guys, you should see this!" he exclaimed. Korra and Mako looked to each other, before following Bolin into the room.

Inside, there were two women inside. Their movements were lively, but grounded. There was an electricity in their movements, as they moved perfectly in sync with each other and the music. They watched them dance from behind, the two dancers unaware of their audience.

One of them looked to be older, at least from her graying hair color. Her body was small, almost delicate looking, but Korra noticed a certain tone to her muscles. Korra looked to the other one, before realizing that her figure looked familiar.

As their dance came to a close, Bolin gave away their secrecy. He cheered, clapping his hands.

"Bravo!" he shouted. The two woman turned around, and Korra realized why the one woman looked familiar. It was the woman she met on the train yesterday, Kuvira. Kuvira's eyes landed on Korra, and she smirked.

The elder woman smiled at her visitors, and gave a slight bow.

"Oh, no need to be impressed," she said, "It was just the Shim Sham. If I'd known people were watching, I would have really given you kids a show."

"Well, you shim sham blew my mind!" Bolin exclaimed.

"Are you kids hear for the class?" she asked. Bolin nodded. The woman laughed, "Well, then you'll learn to do just that and more. I'm Suyin Beifong, your teacher for this class. But you can all call me Su."

Korra turned her attention to Su as she spoke. Did she say her last name was Beifong? Did she had any relation to Lin Beifong?

Kuvira, meanwhile, quietly packed her green leather bag. She made her way to the door as the group talked to Su. She passed Korra.

"Must be nice coming to class and finding the teacher alive, huh?" she said, "Watch out for her. She's tougher then she looks."

With a swing to her step, Kuvira left the room.

* * *

The class was nothing like the last class Korra had experienced. It was a small class, with only ten people enrolled. Instead of spending it sitting at a desk, they spent it moving around the classroom. Kuvira was right when she said that Kuvira was tougher then she looked. She spent the first half of the class warming up her students. They did various exercises and stretches. They did sit ups, push ups, and planked for a full minute. While Korra had no trouble with it, she could tell it was a strain for the rest of the students. Their faces were sweaty and red. It was almost humorous.

The class got much easier when they finished. Su talked about the origins of swing dancing, the reasons why it was a good skill to learn. She talked about the three things they would need for class, "Sensible shoes, loose clothes, and a positive attitude!" Korra stored the information in the back of her mind, It was nothing that was too important.

Soon, they were back in the swing of things. Su taught them a basic movement, the rock step. It was painfully simple, and they repeated it for the rest of the class. Korra found herself wishing to go back to stretches. She enjoyed those more. They were less monotonous.

But soon enough, the class came to a close. Su dismissed the class until the next time they met, promising that it was only the beginning. Things would be getting harder from here on out.

Korra went to pack her stuff, but was stopped.

"Korra...could I speak to you a for a moment?" Su asked, as she was getting ready to leave. Korra shrugged, as she walked towards Su. The rest of the class left the room. It was just the two of them.

Su looked around, as if to make sure the room was secure. Feeling satisfied, she smiled at Korra.

"You're the White Lotus experiment, correct?"

"Uh...yeah. How did you know?"

Su simply laughed.

"I have my ties with the group," she said, laughing a bit, "I'm not necessarily a member, but I am an ally. I just want you to know, if you need help with anything, I will be right here."

Korra smiled at her, nodding.

"Thanks," she said, "Is that all you wanted to say to me?"

"Well, no," she said, "I may have some information regarding the Red Lotus that you may find useful."

Korra stood to attention, preparing to take in this information.

"You know the core value of the Red Lotus? They believe that true freedom comes with the absence of order."

"That's what I was told," Korra responded, "Anarchy."

"There is a place, the Kyoshi Cafe. Once a month, they hold a show. The Crimson Garden Revolution, a concert that's invite only."

"Crimson Garden," Korra repeated, "That does sound similar to Red Lotus. How do you know about it?"

"I know of some faculty members that attend every show," she replied, "I've also begun to notice that they've been passing out invitations to more...rebellious students."

"They might be recruiting them," Korra responded. Su nodded her head.

"It might be a lead to look into," Su said. Korra smiled, and grabbed her bag. This was just the lead she needed.

Korra waved goodbye and rushed out of the classroom. To her surprise, Mako and Bolin were standing there.

"What was that about?" Bolin asked.

"Nothing," Korra responded, "Why are you two still here?"

"We're meeting up with-"

Before Mako could finish that sentence, they were greeted by the sounds of rushing footsteps. Korra turned to look.

And to her joy, there was Asami, running towards them. There was a large smile on her face.

"Mako, Bolin, I have awesome news!" she called out. She saw Korra standing next to the two brothers, "Korra!"

She met up with the three of them, looking at Korra.

"You're taking swing dancing with these guys?" Asami asked. Korra nodded. Asami smiled, "That's awesome! Someone needs to keep an eye on these idiots. Make sure they don't twist an ankle." She laughed, and Korra's smile grew wider. It was a sound she didn't realize she missed.

"What's your great news?" Mako asked.

"Well, you know Professor Ghazan?" Asami asked. She reached into her pocket, reaching for something, "Well, I ran into him in the hallway, and we started talking about music, and long story short..." she pulled out four fliers. They were white, with red flowers crudly printed on them, "Well, he gave me these invites for a concert! The Crimson Garden Revolution!"

Korra's eyes widened at the name of it. Ghazan had invited Asami. Did that mean Ghazan was in the Red Lotus? Did that mean he was trying to recruit Asami?

"I have four tickets...so there is just enough for all of us!" she turned to Korra, "That is, if you want to come. I mean, I know we just met and all, but..."

"I'll go!" Korra interrupted. Asami jumped, and clapped her hands together.

"Great!" she said. There was some musical tone to her voice, Korra noticed. It was nice, "Anyways, I have some time before my next class. We should all get lunch."

"Why not," Mako said, "That class left me beat. I could use some food."

"I'm in!" Bolin chimed in. Asami looked to Korra.

"What about you? Wanna get lunch?"

Korra felt a weird bubbly feeling. It was weird. She couldn't explain it...but she liked it.

She adjusted her bag on her shoulder, looking between Asami and the brothers.

"Sure. Let's get lunch!"


End file.
